Monster Leviathans: The Planet’s Largest Freshwater Fish That You Probably Didn’t Know About

Obviously the world’s oceans are known to support the majority of the planet’s fish species, but did you know that there are monsters patrolling the world’s fresh waters that are as big as the cars that we drive or can swallow a person whole if they were hungry enough?

hen considering day fishing at our favorite fishing holes, generally we catch fish not bigger than 60 to 75 pounds on a rod and reel. Larger fish are always possible using a trotline or net in deeper water or along river channels. Usually, the majority of us catch hand size bluegill bream, slab crappie, largemouth bass, carp, or catfish (best chance to catch a large fish).

In the United States of America, there are some pretty large freshwater fish lurking the deeps of thousands of miles of rivers, deep lakes, ghostly swamps and the endless tributaries that are the life support of healthy rivers. There are bigger and more formidable freshwater fish prowling the freshwater basins in the more remote parts of the world. Monstrous fish, so huge that some of them are as big as the cars that we drive and others so aggressive that they could possibility swallow a man whole, if they were hungry enough.

Let’s take a look together at the Monster Leviathans: “The Planet’s Largest Freshwater Fish That You Probably Didn’t Know About” and thank our lucky stars that we haven’t come face-to-face with one of these monsters at our favorite fishing or swimming
hole.

The Arapaima (as known as the “Paiche”) is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world reaching lengths up to 14 ¾ feet and weighing as much as 440 lbs. A native fish to the Amazon, these fish are commonly raised in commercial farm ponds, because of its delicious meat and protein many poor rural regions of the Amazon can easily obtain.